"Elf on a Shelf" - A New Christmas Tradition

Thanksgiving is over, the boys will be heading back to school tomorrow, a sense of normalcy might actually overcome this house... or maybe not.

To say my children have been rapscallions the past three-days is putting it mildly. They have been at each other's throats, in each other's way, beating on each other (known to some as wrestling ... but when it ends in tears 9 out of 10 times I call it 'beating on your brother'). I am ready for school to start again!

Traditions are fun and so is starting new ones. This year we are trying something a friend shared with me last month called 'Elf on a Shelf'. You can read the history at their website, but in a nutshell, you have some sort of elf figurine that travels around your house. Each night I will hide it in a new spot, so that when they wake up they can find him again. (They do love Hide-n-Seek, and playing I-Spy!) The rest of the day the elf sits in his 'hiding spot' as a visible reminder that Santa is watching them. So they better be nice or Santa will skip this house. It is just something fun. I'd encourage you to get the scoop on their website. Its a well put-together, fun, Christmas-spirited site.

I went to my local store and bought a $3 stuffed Santa as I could not really find an elf and I explained that Santa dropped him off last night and that each night he is going to move around the house. Later in the day, I watched them reconsider their actions as I watched one's little hands reach for the other's neck... and I reminded them "Santa is watching!" They both looked at the elf, smiled and found something better to do with their time. It seems it gave it a *tangible*, new perspective.


- Leanne from MilitaryAvenue.com